A new poll highlights just how deep the concerns are about distance learning.
Among those concerns are learning loss, especially among the most economically vulnerable, the ability to handle distance learning, and access to the Internet. .
“I was surprised at the extent of it,” said Louis Freedberg, executive director of EdSource, a nonprofit education news organization that conducted the poll of 834 California voters, including parents.
Freedberg said one major takeaway is that 79% of poll respondents said that motivating their child and sustaining their interest in studying were the two biggest challenges they face when it comes to distance learning. It's now more important than ever to communicate with teachers, he added.
“To say, 'My kid’s bored, my kid’s not focused, this is not working' because teachers have the problem, they don’t really know what’s going on at the other end," Freedberg said
San Diego County Office of Education project specialist Violeta Mora helps provide resources to parents. She said that, besides reducing distractions and making sure their children take frequent breaks, parents should notice their children’s work and display it. And if children are not doing the work, dig deeper to find out why.
“ 'I thought you were in class. What’s going on?' It really could be, 'I’m not understanding, not motivated,’ ” Mora said.
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Parents should acknowledge the 21st-century skills children are learning, Mora added.
"Young people knowing how to get on a Zoom call and upload documents to the cloud -- even acknowledge their computer skills,” Mora said. "We didn’t learn this way, They’re ahead of us and that’s a huge motivation.”
